WARWICK – (February 18) – According to the American Heart Association, congenital heart defects, are the most common type of birth defects. .
A congenital heart defect (CHD), present at birth, is caused by improper development of the heart during fetal development. Early detection is crucial and therefore newborn screening is standard procedure at St. Anthony Community Hospital's Kennedy Birthing Center.
February is American Heart Month and the Kennedy Birthing Center is participating in the American Heart Association's Little Hats, Big Hearts program, helping to spread awareness of heart disease and congenital heart defects.
Volunteers for the American Heart Association celebrate American Heart Month by knitting red hats for all babies born in February at participating hospitals.
"We're participating in this program to help raise awareness of heart disease, especially congenital heart defects in infants that we can correct with early detection," said Diane DeFreest, nurse manager at St. Anthony Community Hospital's Kennedy Birthing Center.
The National award winning Kennedy Birthing Center is a state-of-the-art maternity unit, providing many innovative options and amenities.
With its beautifully decorated, single birthing suites, the Kennedy Birthing Center was built to cater to family needs, providing homelike surroundings for a more natural labor, delivery and recovery, all in one location, during a complication-free birth process. The Center also provides a C-Section Suite, a large, cheerful nursery and several gynecological rooms.
About St. Anthony Community Hospital, a Member of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network
For over 75 years, St. Anthony Community Hospital in Warwick, New York, has been serving the residents of Orange County, New York and New Jersey's Sussex and Passaic Counties with outstanding and compassionate care. The 60-bed hospital has been a primary resource for emergency, medical, surgical, obstetrical/gynecological and acute care services. Also on campus
is the Mount Alverno Center, a state-approved adult home with an assisted living program serving 85 residents, and Schervier Pavilion a 120-bed, skilled nursing facility dedicated to the highest
standard of healthcare excellence. For more information about
St. Anthony Community Hospital, Mount Alverno Center and Schervier Pavilion, visit BSCHS.BonSecours.com or follow the facilities at Facebook.com/BSCHS or Twitter.com/BSCHS.
About Westchester Medical Center Health Network
The Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth) is a 1,500-bed healthcare system headquartered in Valhalla, NY, spanning seven hospitals and several campuses and locations in the Hudson Valley. WMCHealth employs more than 10,000 people, with nearly 3,000 attending physicians. From Level 1 and Level 2 Trauma Centers, the region's only acute care children's hospital, an academic medical center, several community hospitals and numerous health-related centers, programs and services, today WMCHealth is the leading and pre-eminent provider of integrated health in the Hudson Valley. For more information about WMCHealth, visit www.WMCHealth.org
Olivia and Elizabeth, beautiful twins born to Tom and Heather Perera at Kennedy Birthing Center on February 16, model for the American Heart Association's Little Hats, Big Hearts program.